News / No cash, but SIC commits to tunnels
SHETLAND Islands Council is to start the hunt for more than £100 million to build tunnels to the islands of Bressay and Whalsay.
Councillors are backing a plan to set up a meeting with the European Commission to see if cash can be found to replace the current ferry service with fixed links.
Scottish transport minister Keith Brown has welcomed the plans and requested a detailed study, but warned the SIC that there is no money in the Holyrood pot to contribute towards their ambitions.
However residents on both isles are split over ferries and fixed links, antagonism on the issue having reached such a pitch that some families are unable to discuss it.
Islanders on Whalsay are particularly concerned as the tunnel project has sidelined advanced plans to upgrade the ferry service to meet current demand.
Local councillor Josie Simpson highlighted pressure on the service last week when strong winds forced the ferry to dock at Vidlin, rather than the main terminal at Laxo.
Mr Simpson said the road at Vidlin was too narrow for a large truck carrying salmon from the recently re-opened factory on the island to pass the cars waiting to board the ferry. “I never saw such a mess…it was a completely impossible situation,” he said.
SIC development committee chairman Alastair Cooper said the problem would only get worse this year when the factory relied on fresh salmon being delivered by lorry from the west mainland, rather than by sea from the north isles. Road improvements at Vidlin could not wait, he insisted.
Mr Simpson urged the council to move ahead with haste to resolve the current impasse, saying he did not believe the current ferry service could be maintained until cash for a tunnel was found.
Transport manager Michael Craigie claimed the current service could be maintained “indefinitely”, but it could not be improved to meet increasing demand.
Fellow North Isles member Robert Henderson stressed the value of tunnels over ferries in the current economic climate of rising fuel prices.
“Everything points towards the demise of the service. I would hate to provide Whalsay with the same millstone around their neck that’s been placed around the commuters of Yell. We need a different mode of transport and the only way is fixed links,” he said.
A 1.2 kilometre tunnel to Bressay would cost an estimated £26 million, while the seven km link to Whalsay would come in at £86 million.
The council has agreed to spend an extra £100,000 on developing the study next year, and to produce a paper for the government to endorse prior to approaching Brussels.
Transport partnership ZetTrans chairman Allan Wishart said: “We are looking for a statement in principle of support (from the government), which is essential before we get to Brussels, because the country has to be behind us before we can get any money.”
Become a member of Shetland News
Shetland News is asking its many readers to consider paying for membership to get additional features and services: -
- Remove non-local ads;
- Bookmark posts to read later;
- Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
- Hide membership messages;
- Comments open for discussion.
If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a member of Shetland News by either making a single payment, or setting up a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription.
Already a member? Sign in to hide this message.
